“Man up.”  Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle memorably told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to “man up” during a debate in the last election cycle.  Kay Hymowitz has used this phrase in her new book, Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys, which identifies a cultural problem-that boys are no longer growing up into men.  “Man up” has become a popular phrase for women to use to shame men into taking action.

What do we really want when we tell men to “man up?”


Many young women want men to “man up” when it comes to dating and relationships.  They want men to become gentlemen.  Rather than shaming them into doing something, the Network of enlightened Women (NeW) is encouraging men to develop into gentlemen by recognizing and honoring gentlemen on college campuses as part of the NeW Gentlemen’s Showcase.


The Gentlemen’s Showcase is an online contest run on Facebook to find the NeW Gentleman of the Year.  Anyone can nominate a college male for a gentlemanly act by uploading a video, photo or note to Facebook, and voting takes place throughout the month of March.  College men won’t just be competing on the basketball court this month!  This is positive way to motivate men to act like gentlemen and to foster mutual respect between the sexes on campus.


This seems like a good first step in encouraging boys to grow into men.  I wanted to share the link with you.  Know any good college gentlemen?  Nominate them today!